EASTPORT (AP) — A section of breakwater gave way Thursday in Eastport, injuring one person and damaging several boats.

The collapse in the inner harbor was reported around 2:20 a.m. Police and the Coast Guard responded.

Eastport Port Authority director Chris Gardner told WABI-TV that about 150 feet of pilings gave way. Officials are investigating, but Gardner said it appeared underwater metal boxes that hold the pilings in place had eroded.

The caretaker aboard the 77-foot schooner Ada C. Lore suffered a leg injury, and the vessel was damaged, the Coast Guard said. The Eastport pilot boat was submerged, one unoccupied pickup truck was in the water, and sheen was reported.

By late Thursday afternoon, Coast Guard officials said that 50 percent of the pier had collapsed and that the rest was continuing to fall. All equipment and personnel were removed.

Pat Donahue told WQDY-FM he was asleep on his boat but awoke to the sound of “crumbling.” He said debris fell on the vessel.

The breakwater was built in the 1960s, and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins had recently secured federal funds to replace it, Gardner said.

“This is a harrowing example of why investments in our transportation infrastructure are so essential,” Collins said. “Not only do they create jobs and economic opportunity, but they also improve safety and save lives.”

Coast Guard crews were working with captains to move other vessels to a safe location. Also assisting are the Eastport Port Authority and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.